David Kelley lost his job in September. Then he watched helplessly as the values plummeted on his Clairemont home and some rental properties he owned.

By January, Kelley, 42, was overwhelmed by debt and depression.

“He saw his good life and successful career slipping away,” his stepmother, Jo Ann Kelley, said last month. “He felt very disappointed in himself. He couldn't see beyond the struggles he was having.”

On Jan. 5, David Kelley fatally shot himself in his bedroom, another victim of the psychological toll of unemployment, the loss of a home or the struggle to make ends meet during a deep recession.

“People are feeling insecure and vulnerable,” said Jim Dubois, a team leader with San Diego County's Access and Crisis Line, which has seen a rise in calls from people distressed about their finances.

The county Medical Examiner's Office has attributed at least seven suicides in recent months to money troubles. Medical Examiner Glenn Wagner said such deaths may foreshadow a terrible trend if the gloomy economy continues to push people to the brink.

“As more and more people get laid off and face tough times, they look at this as a solution,” Wagner said. “They can't see beyond the immediate loss of what were once secure lives and to the future where they can recover that security in their lives.”

Because Wagner fears the sinking economy will become a greater factor in suicides, he has asked his office to track and record any connection.

“I'm looking for any trends that we can interpret and translate into prevention,” he said. “Once people are dead, there is little I can do for them, but what I can do is look at the numbers to see how they can be translated into a community response.”

The number of suicides in the county rose to 358 in 2007 after six years of hovering around 320, according to the Medical Examiner's Office. The office has 354 confirmed suicides for 2008, but some cases could be added when the final count becomes official in April.

The local housing market began its dramatic collapse in 2007, but no one, including Wagner, can say whether that or other financial distress is a factor in the rising suicide rate.

Wagner said he has focused on more recent cases in which the link is clear.

In one case, a Ramona husband and wife with financial problems swallowed sedatives, painkillers and anti-anxiety pills in November. The 44-year-old woman died, and her 63-year-old husband survived.

“The couple had been having severe financial problems and had been discussing a suicide pact,” according to a medical examiner's report. “They decided to follow through with their plan.”